Yes, you can absolutely teach yourself knitting
Knitting has been taught grandmother-to-grandchild for centuries — no formal course required. Self-teaching via YouTube is the modern equivalent, and it works well. The vast majority of knitters in our reader community taught themselves from free online resources.
The biggest mental hurdle for self-taught knitters is the first hour. Unlike crochet, where the basic motion clicks within 15–20 minutes, the knit stitch takes 30–60 minutes of genuinely awkward practice before it becomes natural. Many first-time self-taught knitters quit somewhere in that first 45 minutes.
If you know in advance that the first hour will feel clumsy — that this is universal, not a sign you're uncoordinated — you're much more likely to push through. Full honest breakdown in our is knitting hard to learn guide.
The fastest free self-taught path
Pick one teacher and commit. The three we recommend for absolute beginners on YouTube are: VeryPink Knits (Staci Perry — arguably the clearest beginner teacher online, with separate beginner playlists), Nimble Needles (Norman Schwarz — structured, meticulous, great for people who want every step explained), and Tin Can Knits (free beginner pattern series with video support).
Watch their 'absolute beginner' series in order. Don't jump around. Don't watch a second teacher's version of the same stitch before you've finished the first. Your hands are learning muscle memory, and muscle memory gets confused by small differences in technique.
After one beginner playlist, you'll know knit, purl, cast-on, bind-off and working in rows. That's genuinely enough to make scarves, washcloths and headbands. Hats (which need working in the round) are a natural next step.
Why self-taught knitters get stuck
Three recurring failure modes. First, trying too many cast-on methods. There are at least six common ways to cast on stitches, and if your first YouTube video teaches long-tail while the next teaches backward-loop, you'll never feel secure in either. Pick long-tail (the most universal), stick with it for your first month, and ignore every video showing alternatives.
Second, starting on straight needles with thin yarn. Straight needles drop stitches. Thin yarn makes slow, fiddly work. Circular needles in 6mm with chunky aran yarn is the setup every beginner teacher actually recommends — and it's the setup most self-taught knitters skip because they bought a 'knitting starter kit' from a supermarket. Our knitting starter kit page covers what to buy.
Third, panicking at dropped stitches. Everybody drops stitches. It looks terminal; it isn't. A locking stitch marker picks up the dropped stitch and holds it until you fix it. Most self-taught knitters who quit in week one do so because one dropped stitch felt like proof they couldn't do it.
When a paid course is worth it
A paid course is worth it if any of these apply: the first-hour awkwardness worries you and you'd like someone pacing you through it; you want to reach scarf + hat stage without hunting for tutorials; you'd rather pay £15–20 for a single clear course than figure out which YouTube playlist is best; or you've already tried self-teaching and keep getting stuck.
Our top pick is Tin Can Knits' Learn to Knit — their free video tutorials paired with a small paid pattern bundle (~£15) take you from cast-on to finished scarf and hat. Calm, clear, and specifically designed for absolute beginners.
For a subscription-based alternative with left-handed support, Skillshare's Knitting with Hannah is our close second — a 3-hour course with mirrored lessons for left-handed knitters. Full reviews in our best knitting courses roundup.
How long does self-taught knitting take?
Realistic self-taught timeline, practising 30–60 minutes most days: first session (60–90 minutes, set it aside) gets you through the awkward first hour and to the 'click'. Week one gets you a finished washcloth or the first half of a chunky scarf. Weeks two and three add purl stitch and a finished scarf. Month two brings working in the round and hats. Month three onwards, simple garments are within reach.
Full timeline in our how long to learn knitting guide.
Self-taught is typically 1–2 weeks slower than following a paid course — mostly because self-teachers spend longer figuring out what to learn next. The actual hand skills build at the same rate.
Kit matters more than teacher
Bad kit fights you in ways even the best YouTube tutorial can't overcome. Plastic straight needles drop stitches. Thin cheap yarn splits and frays. Dark yarn hides every mistake. Self-taught knitters who struggle are usually struggling with their kit, not their learning.
Our pick: Knit Pro Symfonie 6mm circular needles (~£9.99 — warm wood grips the yarn; circulars work for flat and round projects), Drops Paris aran yarn in a light colour (~£2.50 — smooth cotton with clear stitch definition), and a set of stitch markers plus a tapestry needle (~£5.99). Total: ~£18.
Paid courses usually include kit recommendations. Self-taught learners have to figure this out alone, so if you take one piece of advice from this article, take this one: buy the recommended kit, not the cheapest one.
What to do if you get stuck
Three go-to resources when a tutorial isn't landing. First, search the same technique on a different channel — sometimes VeryPink explains something that Nimble Needles didn't, or vice versa. Second, the /r/knitting subreddit (large, friendly, usually responds within an hour). Third, Ravelry's forums — the old-school standard for knitting questions, especially on patterns and gauge.
Getting stuck on one technique is normal. It doesn't mean you can't teach yourself — it means that explanation didn't land for you. A second source usually fixes it in minutes.